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Lotus Trusts and Sparrow Rice: Natural Farming as a Movement

Juju C. S. Wang, Professor, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan; President, Taiwan Green Mart Association (partly hidden on slide); President, Taiwan National Trust · Taiwan

Juju Wang, a professor at National Tsing Hua University, argued that natural farming in Taiwan should be run as a social movement and spread through 'social design': projects that make taking part easy and fun. He showed examples, including a two-acre lotus farm kept by 287 trustees who pay about US$100 a year, rice brands built around sparrows and the endangered leopard cat, school gardens, two university farmers' markets, and vegetable bouquets at graduation. He gave no figures on how much these projects changed farm incomes or land use.

What they found

The question

Main claim: natural farming spreads faster as a social movement when 'social design' (trusts, brands, school and campus projects, markets, play) links it to the environment, society and the economy, in that order.

How they tested it

Overview talk by a sociology-side professor, not a field trial. Examples come from Taiwan (Hsinchu, Miaoli, Tainan, NTHU and Fu Jen Catholic University campuses), plus one from San Diego, USA. No data on yields, incomes, area farmed, sales or how many people took part, apart from the lotus trust figures. Which farming methods 'natural farming' meant on these farms is not stated.

Results
  1. Lotus farm trust: 287 trustees pay NT$3,000 (about US$100) a year

    Lotus Farm National Trust: a two-acre natural farming lotus farm. Trustees fund it yearly; it serves as a biotope and hosts a lotus tea ceremony for five nearby schools.

    ▶ 4:39 Said and shown on the slides

  2. Sparrow Rice Pack: a rice brand that lets sparrows eat first

    The sign on the slide reads, in Chinese, 'Sparrows take a bite: non-toxic rice that you, I and the sparrows can all eat with peace of mind.'

    ▶ 5:58 Said and shown on the slides

  3. Leopard cat rice from Miaoli

    Natural farming farmers in Miaoli share their land with the endangered leopard cat and sell the rice under a leopard cat label, with a local conservation society.

    ▶ 7:46 Said and shown on the slides

  4. Elementary school farm with an outdoor kitchen

    Ta-Zhuang Elementary School, Hsinchu: pupils farm on campus and cook lunch on an outdoor stove and oven.

    ▶ 6:22 Said and shown on the slides

  5. Two university farmers' markets, food from within 30 km

    Run by the speaker at National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) and Fu Jen Catholic University (FJU). Slide: 'Low Carbon Food Mileage: 30 KM'. Extras include rice popcorn from natural farming supply, a bicycle juicer, a solar coffee bike and a yearly Bicycle Musical Festival.

    ▶ 8:27 Said and shown on the slides

  6. Graduation bouquets made of vegetables and fruit

    NTHU 'Green Graduation': natural farming produce replaced cut flowers at the ceremony, including the bouquet given to the university president; a newspaper clipping on the slide covers it.

    ▶ 9:43 Said and shown on the slides

  7. Natural farming birthday basket sells for US$50

    Spoken; the slide shows the basket.

    ▶ 10:46 Said and shown on the slides

  8. Edible campus: planting tied to the final exam

    Two plots on campus; students who fail to grow their vegetables do not pass the final examination.

    ▶ 11:43 Said and shown on the slides

  9. Pokémon promotions for farm products

    Tainan: fruit ice pops; collect 45 different Pokémon for NT$5 off (slide). San Diego: Pokémon Go players asked to bring food to a food bank.

    ▶ 7:08 Said and shown on the slides

Hold it loosely
  • No outcome data: no figures on farmer income, sales, land under natural farming, or how many people each project reached (except the lotus trust).
  • Examples, not evaluations; nothing is compared with a baseline.
  • Some examples (Pokémon, the San Diego food bank, fun theory) are general social design ideas, not natural farming projects.
  • Which farming methods the featured farms used is not said; 'natural farming' may be used broadly here.
  • The 'one thousand' a day for the university lunch box is unclear (boxes or people?).
For your farm
  • A trust where many people each pay a small yearly sum can hold farmland for natural farming; 287 people at about US$100 a year kept a two-acre lotus farm.
  • A story the buyer can see, such as sparrows eating first or a rare wild cat on the land, can carry a rice brand.
  • Schools and universities are ready partners: gardens, markets, lunch boxes and ceremonies bring young people to natural farming food.

Next to Master Cho's teaching

  • Agrees

    Sharing the field with sparrows and leopard cats Cho tells farmers not to try to kill everything in the field but to think how to coexist with it.

    2017/Cho - Papaikou/IMG_9605 @ 1:11:45 (translated)

  • Agrees

    Co-ops and organised farmers Cho urges natural farming producers to cooperate rather than compete, and wants CGNF to plan supply and stand between consumers and business.

    2017/Advanced Cho/swine/IMG_1943 @ 0:09:54 (translated)

  • Differs

    Selling direct to consumers at farmers' markets In a 2017 talk to CGNF Taiwan, Cho advised farmers not to pitch products directly to consumers but to sell through partner distributors; Wang's markets put farmers face to face with buyers. This is a translated transcript from a year after this talk.

    2017/Advanced Cho/poultry/day 5/IMG_0305 @ 0:06:01 (translated)

“Inspired by Master Cho and many other wonderful farmers in Taiwan, we have considered natural farming as a social movement.”

▶ 0:08

“The sparrow enjoyed the rice at the first place, and then the people enjoyed the rice.”

▶ 6:09

“So wildlife preservation can be connected with the natural farming movement.”

▶ 8:12

In this talk

  1. 0:00Natural farming as a social movement
  2. 1:23Concentric model and the common good
  3. 2:35What social design means
  4. 3:21Fun theory
  5. 3:51Mechanisms: Satoyama, trusts, co-ops, CSA
  6. 4:33Lotus Farm National Trust
  7. 5:28Working holidays for children
  8. 5:58Sparrow Rice Pack
  9. 6:22School farm and outdoor kitchen
  10. 7:08Pokémon and a food bank
  11. 7:45Leopard cat rice
  12. 8:22University farmers' markets
  13. 9:43Green graduation and birthday baskets
  14. 11:21Food resume and edible campus
  15. 12:08Bicycle juicer, coffee bike, music festival
  16. 12:47Lunch box for the university
  17. 13:37A moveable feast

Transcript

Transcribed and checked by hand against the recording. Click any time to play from there.